[callout]This post is part of a monthly series called PRIESTS & NUNS ARE COOL! in which I interview a priest or a nun about his or her vocation — and about how adults who haven’t discerned a vocation yet can discover their own. This edition features Sr. Miriam James, a sister in the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), a missionary community that serves global areas of deepest apostolic need. She is the author of Loved as I Am (Ave Maria Press, Nov. 2014.)[/callout]
Sr. Miriam James’s Twitter handle kids you not: She is one groovy nun. She’s got a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Nevada-Reno, where she played volleyball on a scholarship.
Now, lives at a convent in Texas, and travels to speak at conferences, retreats, and parish missions. She’s working on a master’s degree in theology from the Augustine Institute, and believes deeply in the power of authentic love and in the redemption that Jesus brings.
Sr. Miriam likes reading, drinking coffee, sports and power walks, and is gracious today to discuss her vocation for this series, and to tell us how an adult who doesn’t know his or hers yet might discover it:
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was younger, I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Air Force! But when I was in college and playing volleyball, I wanted to work at ESPN or CNN.
When did you decide you would become a nun?
I heard Jesus call me when I was 22 years old. I had recently graduated from college and was spending time at one of the missions run by the SOLT community.
How did you know you were called to be a nun?
While I was visiting that mission, I had a deep interior knowledge of Jesus calling me — in a moment I just “knew” that He was calling me and I have been confident of that call ever since. I was looking for a profound and eternal love and I found it in Jesus.
What’s the best part (or the best parts) of being a nun for you?
For me, the best part of being a nun is being married to Jesus. The fact the I belong to Him and He belongs to me is the best thing ever. My life is about a relationship with Jesus that flows out into all the relationships that God brings into my life. I feel very blessed and grateful to have been called by Him.
What should a young adult do who still isn’t sure what his or her vocation is?
The primary focus of our lives is Jesus Christ. So as we draw closer to Him, we can hear Him speak His desires to us. Finding a good spiritual director or someone who is wise in the ways of the spiritual life is really important also because they can help us discern. Spend time with people of all vocations and see what sets your heart on fire. All of us have a call to love, a vocation is the way that the gift of love is lived out.
[callout]Connect with Sr. Miriam: Follow her on Twitter at @onegroovynun, visit her blog and buy her book. Click here to read the previous post in this series: PRIESTS ARE COOL! | Fr. Mike Schmitz edition.
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